'Mould means a new shower curtain every three weeks'

Peter Arnesen says he has been dealing with mould issues for a long time

A man has said he bleached his bathroom walls weekly and had to buy a new shower curtain every three weeks because of damp and mould.

Peter Arnesen, a housing association tenant in Swindon, said he had damp coming through the floor as well as walls and had to replace his stair carpet every 18 months.

He said he kept his heating on in the old terrace at 21.5C (71F) all the time: "If I let it get too cold, the damp just goes mad."

The owner, Stonewater, said it had been working with him since June last year to resolve the mould issue and that an independent report did not find any.

Mr Arnesen told the BBC he saw the damp everywhere, learning to fit carpet himself to reduce the cost of repairs, but it was most noticeable in the bathroom, which was part of an extension built some decades ago.

He said he scrubbed it weekly but mould started to grow back within two days.

"The window is always open. Summer, winter, I've got no choice," he said. The bathroom has a ventilation fan as well as a window, but it does not appear to have an effect.

The creases from when the shower curtain came out of the packet are still there as it becomes mouldy enough to chuck after three weeks

The damp has lifted off plaster and paint, so it peeled - he said it has even pushed the grout out behind the tiles.

Mr Arnesen said he had tried a glass shower screen, but it was harder to deal with the damp on the sealant than buy a new shower curtain every three weeks.

"The bath panel I took off a while ago because there was a bad smell from under there," Peter added.

Peter keeps an old outfit purely for bleaching the mould

While Mr Arnesen had lived there for 15 years, more than one housing association has owned it.

For the past few years, it has been Stonewater, which said an independent report it had done in July last year did not find damp or mould, but did ask a contractor to do work which was agreed to.

Their spokesperson added: "We know that bathrooms are most susceptible to mould forming, especially during the colder months. If additional work is needed to alleviate this problem, we will work with Mr Arnesen to find a solution."

Peter said the mould makes the paint peel and it starts to return two days after bleaching

There have been issues with the walls as well

The corner of his living room now also resembles a building site as the walls under the stairs - once containing a cupboard - need to be replaced and builders have started this work.

Peter has been left with a fuse box on wooden poles.

Concerned that a electrician wasn't present when moving electrical boards at one point, he would not let contractors in.

Stonewater said this was on more than one occasion and they have now confirmed with the electric board that the proposed method of fixing the issue is "safe and compliant".

The landlord said: "We have provided an update to Mr Arnesen with our planned dates of works and reiterated our offer of providing alternative accommodation while the work takes place.

"We will continue to work with him and our contractors to complete the work required."